Facilitating the changes needed to make you, or your organisation, the BEST it can be.

Facilitating the changes needed to make you, or your organisation, the BEST it can be.

About Dawn Parkin Solutions

We are a business and personal development organisation which specialises in organisation development, leadership development, change management and human resources. We offer coaching, training and bespoke interventions.

When people ask what we actually do, it’s difficult to get an explanation into a short snappy sentence as, with so many things in life, it depends… on the issues and required outcomes; on the organisation and its culture/values; the individuals we are working with and their needs… the list could go on.

However, isn’t it good to know that what we excel at is really getting to understand the organisation, the team or the individual we are working with?

We can then help further enhance the positive aspects of their situation and assist them in resolving any negative issues they are facing.

Find out more below about the range of services we offer and how we have worked with others, or get in touch to discuss your specific needs and what we can do for you.

Services

Leadership and Management Development

A main aim of all of our leadership programmes is to encourage your leaders to learn how to get the best out of themselves and then go on to learn how to get the best out of others. Imagine your leaders getting their staff to perform their absolute best each and every day by being brilliant role models themselves.

Sooner or later you’ll see the difference around the organisation, you’ll feel the positivity around the place and you’ll hear it in staff meetings and around the coffee machine.

When you choose a bespoke leadership development programme, you will increase the motivation, engagement and efficiency of the participants.

A person is able to take on and apply new learning when the conditions are made right for them, and that’s our approach… not just a transference of leadership skills, but also in helping your leaders create the right conditions for their continuous professional and personal development. But don’t just take our word for it…

Coaching

Can you imagine how liberating it feels when you have someone who is 100% ‘there for you’ as your coach? Isn’t it nice to know that you’ll not be judged or criticised for what you are saying or doing (or not saying or doing…?) but rather you will be challenged and supported to make the changes you feel you need to make?

One of the things that you’re really going to love about coaching is the dedicated ‘you time’. People are best able to identify their own solutions to their own problems and as your coach, we will dedicate our time, energy and resources to helping you achieve this.

We wouldn’t tell you what to do, or how to do it, because you can choose for yourself what’s right for you. We will, however, challenge you positively to assist you in implementing and integrating the changes you wish to make.

We wonder if you’ve already started to notice how good you feel just thinking about having a coach…imagine how great the real experience can be. Opposite is how it helped recent clients…is it something you would benefit from..?

What is coaching?

Coaching is a relationship between two people who work together in moving forward an issue through discussions, questioning techniques and exploring alternative or new ways of approaching a problem or task.

The focus can be on many different aspects, for example:

increasing confidence

improving relationships

improving performance

understanding more about yourself and what you want out of life

reducing stress and anxiety

coping with change

communicating better with others

In fact, the list is as diverse as each client a coach works with – after all each individual is unique, as are the circumstances that apply to them and their situation.

When is it useful?

Coaching can be helpful for anyone, but it is more successful for individuals who have a commitment to improving a situation they are in. It is particularly helpful for those people who feel they ‘cannot see the wood for the trees’ and need a different way of looking at the situation to make sense of thoughts, behaviours and feelings.

What happens in a coaching session?

Usually what happens is an issue is explored between coach and coachee through dialogue, questioning and thinking about the situation in detail. A defined goal is agreed early in the relationship so that both parties understand what the successful outcome should be and can commit to this. Once this commitment takes place then evidence can be collected about the current situation and ways to achieve the goal can be explored.

There are a variety of tools or techniques that can be used in coaching and some may be recommended to you as a way of helping the learning/understanding process. For any tool or technique that is suggested, it will be completely down to you whether or not you feel you would like to try it. The coachee always owns the process – not the coach.

Organisation Design and Development

When you are able to listen to feedback about your organisation from an objective perspective, you can begin to see the changes you need to make it the best possible organisation it can be. Reinforcing the right culture and behaviours has a dramatic effect on employee engagement and therefore on the outcomes and outputs for the organisation.

Being an employer of choice, everyone will be able to feel the difference in the organisation and be thrilled to be part of it.

We have a strong track record of carrying out part or whole organisational reviews to increase efficiency and employee engagement. Be it large public sector organisations (of up to 10,000 staff) or smaller voluntary sector organisations, we have the experience to deliver each phase from the diagnostic/ analytical phase through to successful implementation of preferred options.

Just imagine that the comments opposite are yours…you can benefit too because we customise each intervention to your needs…

Training

It’s easy to remember something when you have a memorable experience attached to it, isn’t it? We apply this principle to our training courses when we can, through making a positive association with the key learning points.

So, when people like you come on a training course we deliver, they experience a profound increase in their knowledge and abilities in the subject area.

Imagine how good you’ll feel when you can more fully understand and confidently master that new skill, be it performance management, managing change and transition, presentation skills etc.

Our wide ranging experience across the organisation/leadership/personal development and human resources field means that we are able to offer a huge range of training courses/programmes to meet individual, team and organisational needs.

We wouldn’t advise you to contact us until you have read what our clients have said about our training approach…

Facilitation and Team Building

One of the things you’re really going to love about our facilitation/team building approach is the way we ensure everyone is involved in achieving the outcomes of the event.

Experience shows that if we consider individual needs for engaging in tasks and interacting with others, then the success of the event is increased dramatically. Think of how satisfied you’ll feel when you’ve had an opportunity to take part in the way that suits your preferences…

That’s why one of the things we do is plan each event very carefully to reflect your needs as an organisation, as well as a team and an individual. It’s good to have a variety of tasks and activities, isn’t it?

It means we can encourage full participation by appealing to everyone’s needs in the room as not everyone likes to spend their time discussing issues around flipcharts.

So, as you consider the benefits of using us to facilitate your next event, you might like to read what other clients have to say about their experience of working with us….

Independent Investigator of HR issues

We don’t know whether you have had a grievance or disciplinary situation which needed to be handled confidentially by someone external to the organisation; it’s a tricky one to resolve isn’t it? The organisation needs to feel confident that their policies and procedures are understood fully and applied appropriately.

The individuals concerned need to feel that they are being listened to and are taken seriously. And of course, a resolution needs to be found which can be implemented with maximum effect.

People feel more reassured that they have gone through an objective process because personal relationships are removed and therefore there are no ‘hidden agendas’.

Not only does our experience and qualifications give us the credibility with those people we work with, but also our personal and professional approach ensures that each individual is handled sensitively and fairly, with objective feedback.

Assessment and Development Centres

More positively, we use these assessment skills to help employees develop themselves in an assessment or development centre. From recruitment to leadership development, each event is managed professionally, with detailed feedback which is evidenced to the criteria established. How does it feel to know you are in safe hands?

Our range of qualifications, experiences and professional backgrounds gives us the skills and competencies to do this for you. For example, Dawn is a fully qualified coach, Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) with over 10 years operating as a senior HR/OD manager and a volunteer CIPD Membership Upgrade Assessor…

Testimonials

I am very grateful that you managed to harness my thoughts (and energy) and help me to feel like I am in control of my own destiny – I was getting there, but certainly needed this final push.I also am really pleased that I feel calm!

Senior Manager

Higher Education Sector

We recently appointed Dawn to work with us to facilitate a number of Management Team sessions, creating an environment that enabled communication and understanding to improve. This allowed the MT to tackle organisational and behavioural changes which have included reviewing and embedding the vision, mission and values. The improved working practice of the MT has had a positive impact on the organisation as a whole. I would not hesitate to recommend Dawn to work with your organisation.

Senior Manager

Third Sector Organisation

Dawn worked with the Management Team as a leadership coach, supporting us through a challenging 360 degree appraisal process, and enabling us to improve communications. We are now working together much more effectively, which has had a positive impact on the rest of the organisation… I would absolutely recommend working with Dawn.

Development Manager

Community and Voluntary Sector Organisation

Not only did Dawn and her colleague readily gain staff support to engage in the consultation process, they also succeeded in getting buy in for the recommendations which emerged from our organisational review. Not a single person has disputed their findings, even though there are significant implications for many individuals within the company. Having an experienced external perspective orchestrating our organisational review was critically important, not only did it allow senior staff to fully participate in the process independently, it also meant that we could take confidence and credibility from their recommendations.

Chief Executive

Third Sector Voluntary Organisation

The sessions Dawn facilitated were well-planned and structured with a range of activities that supported the needs of different learners, added energy and gave time for personal reflection; always within a positive and engaging atmosphere created by Dawn’s personal style.

Chief Officer

North East Local Authority

Dawn undertook an investigation into a very sensitive staffing matter and carried this out thoroughly and effectively. She was particularly creative in suggesting and assisting in implementing a solution to the issues which emerged.

Executive Director

North East Local Authority

Thanks so much for completing this assessment for us. An outstanding report – you are an excellent assessor.

CIPD

Upgrade Team

Contact us

If you are interested in any of our services we would love to hear from you, please get in touch…